The SLR on April 5th had a good turnout with decent weather. The group ran the airport route and took off from the American Club and headed past the International Club towards Road 13. The runners turned left and ran through DOHS and then just like the old frogger game safely crossed the Airport Road! Luckily we were off the airport road quickly and on a nice paved, quiet residential street. We found a dirt path and made our way to a quiet road that parallels the airport runway. After turning left onto this road, we ran until we hit the magic 3.5 mile mark [there IS a tree there for future referenceJ] and then turned around.

On the return, runners picked up the pace as we entered DOHS and really pushed each other to get back to the ARA. Runners finished what MUST have been a great negative split run (if only we had not been so busy chatting that one of us had checked our watch at the turn around-we’d know for sure!). A great workout and a nice new route for SLR!

This week’s SLR will meet at the same time and same place (6:30AM at ARA) and we will run 8 miles. Please join us for some or the entire run.

If anyone has a running route they really like, please email me at dhakatriathlonclub@yahoo.com or just come to SLR!

KL HALF MARATHON RACE REPORT

Three DTC members ran the KL half marathon on Sunday, March 30th in Kuala Lumpur. Start time was 6AM and the race conditions even at that hour were HOT and HUMID. It was a chip timed race and for whatever reason (maybe it was the darkness and heat getting to them) Dave and Robin Martz decided to be the LAST runners to cross the start (better than the last runners to cross the finish!) Dave and Robin started 3 full minutes behind the official race clock and thought they would see how many people they could pass during the race!
















Without a GPS (silly-Since there was not ONE accurate mile marker the entire race!) all three DTC runners held a very respectable pace (about 9 minute miles) in the high heat and humidity. There were some rolling hills and very few water stops. In fact, DTC runners passed the first water stop at the *supposed* 5K mark in over 41 minutes! Must be the slowest 5K known to man! The only other mile marker seen was with a few km to go and that one said 25km! Tough to follow that since the entire race was only 21km!


Robin (aka slow pregnant lady) made 2 pee stops in the first 5K but other than that ran smoothly! Dave and Robin ran the whole way together and came upon our 3rd DTC member around the 19km mark. She looked strong and we all finished feeling good. All 3 DTC members enjoyed cooling off in the tents with cool mist fans and baby pools! Dave and Robin also met the # 2 finisher in the men’s marathon, a sweet guy from Kenya. He said he didn’t run that well and finished in…2:16!!! All DTC runners collected our finisher medals (only the top 900 finishers received one) and headed back to our respective hotels. We all really enjoyed the buffet breakfast post race!


DTC runner results:

Dave ran a 2:03 and this time was good for 78th out of 317 men in his age group.
Robin ran a 2:03 and this time was good for 20th out of 109 women in her age group.
Irina ran a 2:07 and this time was good for 23rd out of 109 women in her age group.

Dave passed 1726 out of the total 2019 male runners! Robin passed 227 out of the 266 female runners! Together, Robin and Dave ended up passing 1953 runners out of the 2285 total ½ marathon runners!

Great job runners!

Complete KL marathon and ½ marathon race results can be found at:

http://www.klmarathon.gov.my/result_2008.php

For more on what some of the runners did for fun in KL check out:
www.bangladeshmartzes.blogspot.com

SLR report March 29

JR Rinfret was the super kind soul that agreed to host the March 29th SLR while the regular club leaders were away in KL preparing to run the ½ marathon the next day.

JR ran about 5 or 6 miles that took him from the ARA to New DOHS around to the Radisson Hotel to Kemal Attaturk Avenue and finally back to Gulshan. With several DTC club members in KL running the ½ marathon and various others injured or tired by the step-up relay race the previous day at the American School, it was a total surprise that JR ran solo for this SLR. He does have a great 7 mile route that we will use for the April 5th SLR that will take us “to the end of the runway and back”.

KL ½ marathon race report to follow shortly.

SLR this Saturday at 6:30AM at the front of the ARA for a 7-miler.

GREAT BIG THANKS AGAIN TO JR FOR HOSTING SLR!

Last SLR before KL half marathon!

A good size group left from the ARA at 6:30AM to run the scheduled 12 mile route. One runner opted for a shorter run and hoped to join the group on longer runs soon. The group ran nice and easy out to the 6 mile turn around and then the pace quickened on the way back. The goal of a negative split workout was achieved by all! Runners were getting excited and ready for the race this week-end. The group discussed what they will likely do over the long week-end in KL leading up to the half marathon with talk of runners relaxing by the pool, eating great food, taking in the sites, including the Petronas Towers and Chinatown, and just enjoying the week-end getaway! Race begins at 6AM Sunday morning, so wish the runners luck if you see them this week.

WE NEED A SLR SUB FOR THIS SATURDAY. THE COURSE AND DISTANCE CAN BE THE LEADER’S CHOICE AND I RECOMMEND BETWEEN 6-8 MILES. PLEASE EMAIL dhakatriathlonclub@yahoo.com if you are able to be SLR leader for the day.

Discussions are ongoing for our April event and choices are the following:

1) Rickshaw time trial
2) Duathlon (5k run, 15k bike, 5k run)
3) Predicted time 8K race (no watches-closes to predicted time wins)
4) Age-handicapped 7.5K race (runners begin race based on age and gender-women80-85 begin first…men 16-20 go last)

PLEASE EMAIL US IF YOU HAVE A PREFERENCE FOR THE DTC TO PUT ON ONE OF THESE RACES IN APRIL AND/OR IF YOU HAVE OTHER IDEAS FOR AN EVENT IN APRIL.

SLR Report from March 15

A small but dedicated group turned up to run the longest SLR yet….ELEVEN miles! This is in preparation for the KL half marathon at the end of March. The group was so busy chatting and enjoying the near traffic free countryside that the leader forgot to give the turnaround signal at 5.5 miles out and we ran until 5.7 miles out! Even with the added mileage, the return trip was nearly 5 minutes SHORTER than the outbound run and everyone felt good afterwards.

This week, March 22nd, we begin again from the ARA at the earlier time of 6:30AM. Please join us for our LAST run before KL! We will be running 12 miles in preparation for the half marathon in Kuala Lumpur!

IF YOU DO NOT WANT TO/CAN NOT RUN 12 MILES, PLEASE COME ANYWAY! WE USUALLY DO AN OUT AND BACK ROUTE AND YOU CAN RUN A FEW MILES WITH THE GROUP BEFORE TURNING AROUND AND HEADING BACK TO THE ARA!

For anyone NOT running KL, could someone step up to be our volunteer ‘leader’ for SLR on Saturday March 29th? The distance can be the leader’s choice, preferably something in the 6-9 mile range. Please email dhakatriathlonclub@yahoo.com if you would be able to lead SLR for the day.

Thanks and see you Saturday!

SLR March 8th

The group had a step back week and ran 7 miles Saturday. The rest will hopefully provide the needed energy for next week's schedule SLR where we ramp up the mileage and run 10 miles. The course will be measured and cue sheets will be provided.

Due to the weather getting warmer, the run will begin at 6:30AM instead of 7AM. All Saturday Long Runs, therefore, will now begin at 6:30AM until further notice. Meeting location remains the same: in front of the ARA (American Club) front gate.

Please come out and join us, even if you don't want to run the entire distance!

Saturday March 15th 6:30 AM ARA-10 miles!

Tour de Baridhara

SLR cranked up the mileage once again and ran a pre-set 9 mile route called the “tour de Baridhara”. It ran down EVERY street in this local neighborhood (twice!) and also introduced some runners to a great new footpath in Gulshan that runs along the Lake. It was a good size group that was a mix of both veteran SLR attendees along with some new faces. The group kept a great pace with the back of the pack finishing in about 1:25! There was discussion after the run of moving the start time earlier as the weather begins to heat up. Suggestions and inputs welcomed on this topic.

This week the schedule calls for a 10 mile run, but sensing the need for a ‘step-back’ week in our training, I am inserting one here. So, those who are feeling up to it, please run the scheduled 10 miles Saturday. For those who need a little bit of a break (like me!), let’s step back the long run this week to 7 miles. Your body can recover and rest and we will continue our ascent the following week.

Stay tuned for a NEW (and earlier) start time for our March 15th SLR where we will run 11 miles in preparation for the KL half marathon at the end of March.

Please join us Saturday March 8th at 7AM in front of the ARA to run 7 miles!

DTC

*** Note: there is a charity road race on Friday, March 7th from the BHC. For more information check the boards at either ARA or BHC club.